Container closure



SeptQG, 1938. F. B. BUSCH 2,129,159

I I CONTAINER CLOSURE Filed April 6, 1936 IN V EN TOR.

BY (I A T ToRN S.

Patented Sept. 6, 1938 PATENT OFFICE CONTAINER CLOSURE Frank B. Busch, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Owens- Illinois Glass Company, a corporation of Ohio Application April s, 1936, Serial No. 72,948

4 3 Claims. (Cl. 215-38) The present invention relates to a closure for containers such as bottles, jars or the like and more particularly to a slip-over cover for such containers. It is an object of the present invention to provide a closure for bottles, jars or similar containers which may eliminate lugs and threads around the neck of the bottle and which may be taken off and replaced simply and speedily without destroying or wearing out the closure. I Another object of the present invention is to provide a closure which is inexpensive to manufacture and extremely simple in design. It is an aim to provide a cap which may be easily applied to and removed from a container but which remains securely in place when in position.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a cap, shown in place on a container;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view'of a container without the cap;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevational view of a container having a cap fitting thereover, the cap being shown in cross-section taken along the line 3--3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged cross-sectional view of the closure shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 taken at right angles thereto along the line 5-5 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic top plan "view of another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, reference character Ill designates an ordinary container such as a bottle, jar, can or the like.

The top of the jar terminates in a neck II which may havean annular bead l2 running therearound. The upper portion of the neck above the bead i2 is preferably formed with an upwardly diverging flared portion l l which, together with the bead I2, forms "a shallow recess Hi immediately above the head. A bevelled portion I6 is preferably provided around the upper margin of the neck, which bevelled Portion, together with the flared portion ll therebelow, forms an edge l5 which extends outwardly slightly beyond the remaining portion of the neck above the bead l2. Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the peripheral contour of the ed e 15 is out of round, it being slightly elongated in the direction of the section line 33. The extent to which this out of round contour of the edge l5 may be 55 carried downwardly into the neck below the edge I5 is arbitrary and the flared portion ll may assume circular proportions at its junction with the bead or at a plane slightly thereabove. Irrespective, however, of these details in the manu facture of the bottle, the essential features of the 5 invention are always preserved. As shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, eccentric center points l'la are taken and peripheral arcs having radii l'lb are struck to form the outer margin and edge or bead IS. The ends of the arc are joined by parallel surfaces l8 (Figs. 2 and. 3) which are preferably tangential to the arcs near the axis coincident with the cutting line 55. The diameter along this axis (Fig. 2) is accordingly shorter than the diameter along the longitudinal axis coincident with the section line 33 between the points ll.

The cap 20 having a circular top portion 2i and 8. depending skirt 22 is made to fit snugly over the neck H. The perimeter of the skirt 22 is preferably substantially equal to the perimeter of the edge I5 or bead so that it is possible to slip the cap over the edge 15 by merely pressing it on. p This cap 2|) is preferably circular although broadly, for the puposesof this invention, it may be sufficient to form the cap with slightly different contours than the neck H or in such a manner that the skirt must be slightly sprung out of shape by the neck when it is fitted thereover- When the cap is passed over the edge l5 and fitted onto the neck, as shown in Fig. 3, the skirt will be slightly distorted to conform to the contour of the neck ll, particularly the edge [5. The points l'l projecting outwardly slightly beyond the normaldiameter of the skirt 22 will press the skirt outwardly slightly and cause it to bulge in the longitudinal axis of the out of round neck. This effect may be observed in Figs. 3 and! which show the skirt 22 flared outwardly from the neck II at this point.

Along the transverse axis, however, the lower edge of the skirt 22 is drawn and held inwardly to lie snugly against or in close proximity to the outwardly flared area of the neck I I. This efifect may be observed in Fig. 5 and in Fig. 1. In the I latter view, the underhanging portion of the skirt is shown. in dotted outline.

The bevelled portion l6 also performs the function of enabling the cap to be more easil slipped into place. The taper on the bevelled portion above the edge l5 aids in spreading out the skirt 22 of the cap to conform with the contours of the edge I5. In addition, the bevelled portion I6 serves to locate the edge Ii a short distance below the top edge 01 the container. In this way the outwardly projecting points I! press against the skirt 22 at a short distance below the top portion 2| of the cap, at which place the bulging of the cap will be emphasized in the lower regions of the of the skirt underlap the adjacent portions of the edge l5. This aids in serving as a gripping or frictional holding means for the cap. The cap is preferably made of a flexible sheet metal construction which permits the same to be readily slipped over the neck and snapped into place. It is also to be observed that a circular contour for the cap or the jar permits the cap to be placed on the container regardless of its relative angular position. It will thus be possible to slip the cover in place and be assured of it springing into place properly irrespective of its angular position.

In Fig. 6 is shown an embodiment of such a closure in which the contours of the cap have been greatly exaggerated for the purpose of clarity. In this view the edge 30 of the bottle 3| is made substantially circular while the cap 32 is given an oval, elliptical or other out of round contour. ilne depending skirt 33 preferably conforms in horizontal cross-section to the contour of the top portion i l of the cap 32.

The operation of this embodiment is similar to that shown in Fig. 1. ,As the cap is slipped over the neck of the bottle ii the portions of the skirt at opposite sides of the smallest diameter are forced outwardly by the neck or edge 38]. In so doing, the horizontal cross-section of the skirt which is held against the edge 30, tends to conform to the shape of this edge. The lower edge 35 of the skirt tends to bulge outwardly across the shortest diameter of the top/ 34. On the other hand, the lower edge 35 is drawn inwardly along its longest diameter to underlie a portion of the top 3%. In this manner the cap 32 is held firmly to the bottie 3| by a novel slip-over engagement.

It is to be observed that in this embodiment, as in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the circular contour of the neck or edge 30 permits the cap to v be placed on the bottle regardless of its relative ,within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a container having an annular wall defining a, filling and discharging opening, an annular external bead on said wall, an annular external projecting edge on said wall above said head, said bead and edge being spaced apart vertically to provide an annular recess therebetween in proximity to said opening, said edge being of noncircular contour, and a closure including a circular top portion and a depending resilient attached skirt adapted to be distorted by portions of said upper edge by and during application of the closure to the container, said skirt having portions projecting into said recess when the closure is positioned on the container.

2. The combination with a container provided with a neck defining a filling and a discharge opening, said neck being provided'with an external outwardly projecting circumferential edge in the upper region thereof, the contour of said edge including two connected semi-circular portions, the respective centers of which are spaced apart a. slight distance, of a closure therefor comprising a substantially circular top portion provided with a flexible depending annular skirt substantially cylindrical in form, said skirt being adaptedto be telescoped over said edge so that said semi-circular portions engage the inner surface of said skirt in diametrically opposed regions thereof and cause the same to become bulged outwardly whereby other diametrically opposed regions of said skirt are drawn inwardly against saidneck tofrictionally maintain said closure thereon.

3. The combination with a container provided with a neck defining a filling and a discharge opening, said neck being provided with an external outwardly projecting circumferential edge in the upper region thereof, said edge being spaced below the upper margin of said neck, the contour equal to the perimeter of said edge, said skirt being adapted to be telescoped over said edge so that the portions of said edge which are most eccentric to the neck engage the inner surface of said skirt and cause the same to be bulged outwardly in the engaging regions thereof while the remaining regions of said skirt are drawn inwardly against said neck to frictionally maintain said closure thereon.

FRANK B. BUSCH. 

